Sports

Dan Rooney, who steered the Pittsburgh Steelers for decades and helped spearhead the NFL's efforts at diverse hiring, has died at the age of 84. The team announced his death Thursday.

Updated at 6:00 p.m. ET

Three explosions went off near the bus of Germany's Borussia Dortmund soccer team on Tuesday evening in the city of Dortmund, local police say.

The team said on Twitter that one of its players, defender Marc Bartra, suffered a broken wrist and is being treated in a hospital. The injury required surgery.

What's the best way to bolster your country's bid for the World Cup?

The U.S., Canada and Mexico have settled on an unprecedented answer to that question: just combine forces. The chiefs of the three countries' national soccer organizations broke the news in New York City on Monday, announcing their joint bid to host the 2026 men's World Cup.

Golfer Sergio García of Spain slipped on the green jacket after a dramatic finish over Englishman Justin Rose at the 81st Masters in Augusta, Ga., on Sunday.

Before the sudden-death playoff, García trailed Rose by two shots with six holes remaining.

The Associated Press reports:

Rose sent his first playoff drive into the trees on 18 and managed to punch out before failing to sink a 15-foot par putt.

That opened the door for García to win the title by two-putting from 12 feet out.

NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is back on the track after a long recovery period from having suffered yet another concussion.

Earnhardt Jr. was recently medically cleared to return to competition. We caught up with him right after practice at Texas Motor Speedway for this edition of "Out Of Bounds." He tells NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro how concussions have changed NASCAR and his own life.

"I'm excited about what I'm seeing out of NASCAR being more proactive to keep drivers safe and err on the side of safety," he says.

The U.S. women's national soccer team has agreed to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Soccer, concluding a protracted dispute over their union contract.

In days of yore, Opening Day of the baseball season was special, signifying that spring had come at last.

Today, however, Opening Day sort of dribbles into existence, and the spiritual start of spring now belongs to the Masters golf tournament, where the azaleas and magnolias and dogwood bloom. And if they dare look like they're gonna bloom too soon, in March the groundskeepers are rumored to pack them with ice to make sure spring comes as God intended it, which this year is on Thursday.

The NCAA is bringing sporting events back to North Carolina after state lawmakers repealed large portions of the controversial "Bathroom Bill" — although the collegiate sports organization isn't exactly enthused about the deal.

In a statement on Monday, the group says its governors reached their decision "reluctantly."

That law, which was passed more than a year ago, required transgender people to use bathrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate and blocked cities and counties from passing protections for LGBT people, among other things.

Monday night's national title game was expected to be a fast-paced, competitive showcase for North Carolina forward Justin Jackson and Gonzaga point guard Nigel Williams-Goss, two of the best players in college this season.

It was certainly competitive, but with both teams' tough defenses locking up the main offensive options, the game turned into a foul-laden slog rather than a shootout. The Tar Heels were able to pin their opponent in the end, 71-65, winning the school's sixth national title.

The NHL won't be pausing its season to allow players to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics, officials announced on Monday.

Many pro players have expressed a desire to compete in the Games at Pyeongchang, South Korea. But the league says it doesn't see a benefit to the sport — and does see a risk of injuries.

The NHL has allowed players to participate in every Olympic Games since 1998.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, disputes over money played a role in the decision not to continue.

Updated at 9:30 p.m. ET

By now, it's fair to say South Carolina is a better team than Mississippi State. The Gamecocks' 67-55 win in the national title game Sunday was South Carolina's third — and most convincing — win over the Bulldogs this season.

The women's first basketball championship is all the more impressive since the team lost senior center Alaina Coates to an ankle injury before the tournament started.

For runners of road races, spring is a busy season. As temperatures rise, weekend racing ramps up — especially for those training for this month's Boston Marathon.

It's also crunch time for the sleuths sniffing out runners who cheat to get to that crown jewel of races.

In a hectic finish, the North Carolina Tar Heels were able to hold off the Oregon Ducks, 77-76.

North Carolina now advances one step closer to a redemptive title after losing at the buzzer in last season's championship game. This time they'll play Gonzaga Monday night.

Down the stretch, with the Tar Heels holding a slim lead, the semifinal didn't have the feel of a game that close. Perhaps because a series of timeouts disrupted the rhythm; perhaps because there wasn't a sense that the Ducks could make a final push to get past the Tar Heels.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs will advance to their first national championship game, after the Final Four newcomers outlasted the South Carolina Gamecocks with a 77-73 win.

But considering Saturday night's neck-and-neck finish, there wasn't a whole lot of excitement in the University of Phoenix stadium until after halftime.

Here's a quick roundup of some of the mini-moments you may have missed on this week's Morning Edition.

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Before Friday night's national semifinal game, the Mississippi State women's basketball coach gave an unusual motivational speech.

"I will not be scared," Vic Schaefer told his players. "There is no reason to be scared. You are one heck of a basketball team."

The tactic makes more sense in light of the opponent: 36-0 University of Connecticut, riding a 111-game winning streak that included a 60-point thrashing of Mississippi State in last year's Sweet 16. At the time, it was the worst defeat in tournament history.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the world's most recognizable people.

An international soccer superstar, blessed with good looks and a golden foot, Ronaldo indisputably stands as one of the greatest to take the pitch. He's so beloved, in fact, that he just got an international airport named after him in his native Madeira Islands in Portugal — plus a bust fashioned in his likeness.